A Maricopa County judge refused today to reveal the contents of a private letter at the center of the case involving jailed detention officer Adam Stoddard.

The letter was the one Stoddard took from the confidential files of defense attorney Joanne Cuccia in October, an incident that has drawn national attention and landed the young detention officer in jail for contempt of court.

Although Judge Gary Donahoe already determined the letter was a privileged communication between the attorney and her client, Stoddard’s own lawyers wanted it to be made public so they could use it to try to get him out of jail in their appeal to a higher court. Donahoe made no other comment in denying the request, publishing only a short minute entry [PDF] with the court.